Now colder days are here, we’re putting away the smoothie makers and salad spinners and starting to simmer up some hearty, mouth-watering bowls of soupy goodness.
Fruit and vegetables make up nearly half (42 per cent) of what us Brit’s throw in the bin, so I’m on a mission to help minimise autumnal food waste, and make the most of those nutrients you’ve been throwing away.
Here are my top tips and recipes for using up the main offenders at this time of year: mushroms, butternust squash and kale.
Boost your nutrition absorption
Mushrooms are a source of soluble fibre called beta-glucan, which is excellent for gut health and for lowering cholesterol. They’re also packed with a host of B vitamins that are involved in the functioning of metabolisms and keeping nervous systems healthy.
Not only that, but the mushrooms also help nutrient absorption, and break down carbs and protein better.
Mushrooms aren’t just great for your gut health either, they’re also rich in psyllium to help promote strong, shiny hair, skin and nails.
Try sprinkling some salt over any soggy mushrooms before throwing them in the pan – this will help to make them firm again and save them from the bin.
If you’re looking for leftover mushroom recipes. To use them up, try this veggie take on a British comfort food staple.
Veggie shepherd’s pie with garlicky greens
There’s no classic British comfort food like shepherd’s pie, and trust us: you won’t miss the meat in our veggie lentil version, with rich gravy under a blanket of smooth cheesy mash.
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves
390g green lentils
15ml Henderson's Relish
11g vegetable stock mix
32g tomato paste
4 white potatoes
2 carrots
80g chestnut mushrooms
150g spring greens
40g cheddar cheese
5g thyme
1 brown onion
Butter
Milk
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C (fan)/gas 7. Boil a kettle.
2. Peel and chop the potatoes into rough, bite-sized pieces. Add the chopped potatoes to a pot of boiled water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Once boiling, cook for 12-15 min or until fork-tender, then drain and return to the pot to steam dry.
3. Reboil a kettle. Peel and finely chop the brown onion. Top, tail, peel and finely dice the carrots.
4. Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chopped onion and diced carrots with a pinch of salt and cook for 5-8 min or until softened slightly.
5. While the onion and carrots are softening, peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic. Chop the chestnut mushrooms into quarters (or rip th em up with your hands to save time).
6. Strip the thyme leaves from their stalks, discard the stalks. Tip: Hold the top of the herb sprigs firmly and slide your fingers down their lengths to easily remove the leaves
7. Once softened, add the chopped mushrooms, half of the chopped garlic (save the rest for later!) and the thyme leaves to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2 min.
8. Meanwhile, drain and rinse the green lentils. Dissolve the vegetable stock mix, tomato paste and Henderson's Relish in 250ml boiled water – this is your tomato stock
9. Add the drained lentils and tomato stock to the pan and reduce the heat to low – this is your lentil mixture.
10. Return the drained potatoes to a low heat with a splash of milk and a knob of butter. Mash until smooth and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
11. Pour the lentil mixture into the base of an oven-proof dish. Spread the mash evenly on the top and grate over the cheddar cheese. Put the dish in the oven for 15-20 min or until golden and bubbling – this is your veggie shepherd’s pie.
12. While your pie is cooking, wash, then rip the leaves off the spring greens, discard the tough stalks, then layer the leaves over each other, roll them up and slice into thin strips
13. Heat a separate large, wide-based pan with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the remaining chopped garlic and the sliced spring greens with a pinch of salt. Cook for 4 min or until the spring greens are cooked with a slight bite – these are your garlicky greens.
14. Once cooked, remove the veggie shepherd's pie from the oven and leave to stand for a few min as it will be extremely hot! (this will also help the flavours develop)
15. Serve the veggie shepherd's pie with the garlicky greens to the side. Enjoy!
Sprinkle seeds as extra nutrients over pretty much anything
It’s the end of pumpkin spice latte season, meaning it’s the last chance for butternut squash and pumpkins to shine. Paired best with warm spices, these golden delights are best enjoyed roasted in cubes or blended into hearty, healthy soups.
Scoop out the seeds and roast them with a good glug of olive oil and a crack of salt and pepper. Once they’re ready, store your crunchy seeds in a glass container and sprinkle over the top of any tasty dish for an added dose of fibre, plus add vitamin A and E.
Whether you’re roasting, boiling or purée-ing your butternut squash, there’s plenty of ways to use this versatile vegetable, including in this recipe.
Baked butternut squash biryani with cultured coconut
Prep this in minutes, then sit back as your warmly spiced biryani bakes in the oven. Once the rice is tender, serve with crispy onions, cultured coconut and sliced chilli.
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
3 garlic cloves
320g butternut squash cubes
10g coriander
80g cultured coconut
1 green chilli
11g vegetable stock mix
15g fresh root ginger
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
15g crispy onions
130g basmati rice
1 dried bay leaf
3 cardamom pods
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C (fan)/gas 7. Boil a kettle.
2. Heat a large, wide-based, hob-safe oven-proof casserole dish with a matching lid with a drizzle of olive oil over a high heat. Once hot, add the butternut squash cubes to the dish.
3. Chop the tomatoes into wedges. Crush the garlic cloves open by squashing them with the side of a knife and remove the skins. Add the tomato wedges and crushed garlic to the dish.
4. Crush the cardamom pods open by squashing them with the side of a knife. Slice the ginger in half (no need to peel!)
5. Add the crushed cardamom pods and halved ginger to the dish with the ground turmeric, curry powder and bay leaf and give everything a good stir
6. Sprinkle in the vegetable stock mix. Add the basmati rice with 350ml boiled water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Cover with a lid and put the dish in the oven for 15-20 min or until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked.
7. Once the rice is cooked, remove the dish from the oven and set aside for 5 min to steam (keep the lid on!) – this is your butternut squash biryani
8. Slice the green chilli finely. Chop the coriander roughly, including the stalks.
9. To serve, fluff the butternut squash biryani with a fork, stir through the chopped coriander and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Top with a dollop of cultured coconut, the sliced green chilli (can't handle the heat? Go easy!) and crispy onions.
10. Tip: Watch out for the ginger halves, cardamom pods and bay leaves and discard!
11. Let everyone dig in!
For maximum nutrients, enjoy your veggies raw
We buy bags of kale with good intentions, but after a few meals it can become a bit samey. Kale is a deliciously versatile ingredient and is in its prime in the colder months – whether you roast it, steam it, or even eat it raw.
Kale is incredibly high in fibre and iron, which helps to stabilise your energy levels throughout the day and support your metabolism. Rub raw kale with olive oil, squeeze over a zesty lemon and shake over some chilli flakes to give it an extra burst of flavour, making it a new favourite healthy snack.
If you’re still looking for ways to use up kale and gain the extra health benefits, swap it in for spinach in a hearty daal or veggie curry or try blending it up into a smoothie.
Kale is packed full of folate, which is critical for brain development, and vitamin C – I can’t think of a better superfood ingredient to see you through the colder months.
Chicken Milanese with green mash and baby kale pesto
Milanese is a traditional Italian way of breading thin slices of chicken or veal. Our chicken Milanese is served with baby kale and walnut pesto, slow-roast tomatoes and green mash.
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
2 British chicken breasts
25g walnuts
50g baby kale
1 lemon
30g panko breadcrumbs
4 white potatoes
250g cherry tomatoes
40g cheddar cheese
1 garlic clove
Butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C (fan)/gas 4. Boil a kettle.
2. Peel and chop the potatoes roughly into bite-sized pieces. Add the chopped potatoes to a pot of boiled water with a pinch of salt and cook over a high heat for 15 min or until they’re fork-tender.
3. Meanwhile, cover the chicken breasts in cling film and bash them with a rolling pin until evenly flattened and approximately 1cm in thickness.
4. Combine the panko breadcrumbs with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt on a large plate. Add the juice of ½ a lemon to a bowl with 2 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Give it a good mix up until the lemon and oil have combined – this is your lemon and olive oil mix.
5. Dip the flattened chicken breasts in the lemon and olive oil mix then press firmly into the panko breadcrumbs until both sides are evenly coated. Add the coated chicken to one side of an oiled baking tray.
6. Add the cherry tomatoes to the other side of the baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Put the tray in the oven for 20 min or until the chicken is cooked through (no pink meat!) and the tomatoes have started to blister and char.
7. Meanwhile, wash the baby kale then add it to a food processor.
8. Peel the garlic and grate the cheddar cheese. Add the garlic (not a fan of raw garlic? Go easy!), the grated cheddar, walnuts, 3 tbsp olive oil, the juice of the remaining lemon and ½ tsp salt to a food processor. Whizz it all up until blitzed but not smooth and set aside – this is your baby kale pesto
9. Once cooked, drain the potatoes and return them to the pot with a large knob of butter. Mash them until smooth. Add half of the baby kale pesto (you’ll use the rest later!) to the pot, then mix to combine – this is your green mash.
10. Serve the chicken Milanese over the green mash, with the roast tomatoes and remaining kale pesto to the side. Enjoy!
Recipes from Gousto, the UK’s best value recipe box with 75 meals to choose from weekly. Visit gousto.co.uk.
